The common source of Jewish and Christian liturgical music in the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, a subject of controversy for almost 2,000 years, has been substantiated by Dr. Eric Werner, a leading American musicologist, composer and teacher.
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion today announced that Dr. Werner, after careful analysis of synagogue and church music and liturgy, and after exhaustive investigations of several European and Middle East sources, has established and documented the common origin of the music and liturgy–this has long been the contention of the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. Werner is professor of Jewish Music at the H.U.C.-J.I.R.
Msgr. Prince Rampolla, Papal Secretary, has invited Dr. Werner to deliver an address on “The Interdependence of Synagogue, Byzantine and Gregorian Chant” before the International Congress of Catholic Church Music to be held at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome at a special Holy Year convocation beginning May 25. While in Rome, Dr. Werner, at the invitation of Msgr. Iginio Angles, prefect of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, will present some papers on the common liturgical and musical ground. These papers will be offered before an international group of scholars under the chairmanship of Cardinal Tisserand.
Dr. Werner has marshalled his evidence from many scattered sources, including France, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Armenia and the Balkans, and Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia.
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